Mills Creek

Past Producer in Alaska, United States with commodity Gold

Sections on this page

Identification information
Geographic coordinates
Site location context
Geographic areas
Commodities
Materials information
Mineral occurrence model information
Nearby scientific data
Economic information about the deposit and operations
Mining district
Links to other databases
Bibliographic references
General comments
Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID	10107516
MRDS ID	A011588
Record type	Site
Current site name	Mills Creek
Alternate or previous names	Wagner Gulch, Chicago Gulch
Related records	10185811

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates:	-151.49279, 62.34953 (WGS84)
Relative position	The best location for this mined area is shown by C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) on Figure 4.2-B(3)) in Sections 8, 9, 16, and 17, T. 26 N., R. 12 W., of the Seward Meridian. Coordinates given are approximately one half mile upstream from Collinsville. The placered area extends approximately two miles upstream into the headwater drainages of Wagner and Chicago Gluches. The locality is also shown by Clark and Cobb (1972, locality 14).

Geographic coordinates:

-151.49279, 62.34953 (WGS84)

Relative position

The best location for this mined area is shown by C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) on Figure 4.2-B(3)) in Sections 8, 9, 16, and 17, T. 26 N., R. 12 W., of the Seward Meridian. Coordinates given are approximately one half mile upstream from Collinsville. The placered area extends approximately two miles upstream into the headwater drainages of Wagner and Chicago Gluches. The locality is also shown by Clark and Cobb (1972, locality 14).

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Matanuska-Susitna(Borough)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Talkeetna B-3(quadrangle 1:63,360 scale)

Talkeetna SE(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Talkeetna C(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Yentna River(hydrologic unit)

Susitna River(hydrologic accounting unit)

South Central Alaska(hydrologic subregion)

Alaska(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country	State
United States	Alaska

Commodities

Commodity	Importance
Gold	Primary

Materials information

Materials	Type of material
Gold	Ore
Platinum	Ore

Mineral occurrence model information

Model code	119
USGS model code	39a
Deposit model name	Placer Au-PGE
Mark3 model number	54

Nearby scientific data

(1)	-151.49279, 62.34953	ListMap

Economic information

Comments on the geologic information

Geologic Description = Mills Creek is part of the productive placer area known as Collinsville or Fairview Mountain which encompasses approximately 36 square miles. Mills Creek drains southeast from the summit of Fairview Mountain over bedrock that is shown by Reed and Nelson (1980) as semi- and unconsolidated Tertiary clastic sediment of the Sterling (?) Formation (Tps) A northeast-striking normal fault cuts the sedimentary strata and parallels the high angle northeast-striking Pass Creek fault mapped to the northwest. ?No lode occurrences have been found in the placer deposits near Fairview Mountain/Collinsville (Hawley and Clark, 1978).? C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) describe placer operations at this locality on auriferous gravels 3 to 10 feet deep, 20 to 30 feet wide. The main gold-bearing section is on top of a brown to orange-brown clay bed about 15 feet deep and consists of about 5 feet of quartz-bearing gravel. The gold is derived from reworking of the Tertiary clastic sediments (Tps) in the Pleistocene. ? Mills Creek area was mined nearly all the way from confluence with Twin Creek to the headwater gulches of Wagner and Chicago Gulches. C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) report that production from the entire Collinsville area came from about '1.6 million yards of ground mined in a drag line washing plant operation and 100,000 yards mined by sluice box, which respectively, contained about $0.60 and $1/yard gold at $35/ounce.' Grades of 0.78 oz/ton platinum minerals are reported from one area but the exact location is not specified (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978).? Some data for Twin Creek and Mills Creek are combined. See also Twin Creek (TL 026) and Pass Creek (TL024). Wagner Gulch and Chicago Gulch, headwater tributaries to Mills Creek, have also been mined.
Age = Pleistocene.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status	Past Producer
Commodity type	Metallic

Mining district

District name	Yentna

Comments on the production information

Production Notes = Mills Creek area was mined nearly all the way from confluence with Twin Creek to the headwater gulches. C.C.Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) report that production from the entire Collinsville area came from about '1.6 million yards of ground mined in a drag line washing plant operation and 100,000 yards mined by sluice box, which respectively contained about $0.60 and $1/yard gold at $35/ounce.' Grades of 0.78 oz/ton platinum minerals are reported from one area but the exact location is not specified (C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978).

Comments on the reserve resource information

Reserves = C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) show possible reserve of 640,000 cubic yards in Mills Creek (Fig. 4.2 B(4)) above the confluence with Twin Creek and another 230,000 possible cubic yards possible below the confluence. The probable reserves are largely covered by old tailings.

Comments on the workings information

Workings / Exploration = C.C.Hawley and Associates, Inc. (1978) described exploratory testing by drill and backhoe and mining with a drag line washing plant and sluice box.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency	Database name	Acronym	Record ID	Notes
USGS	Mineral Resources Data System	MRDS	A011588
USGS	Alaska Resource Data File	ARDF	TL059

Bibliographic references

Deposit

Capps, S.R., 1913, The Yentna district, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 534, 75 p.
Deposit

Brooks, A.H., 1914, Mineral resources of Alaska in 1913: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 592, p. 340-341.
Deposit

Capps, S.R., 1924, Geology and mineral resources of the region traversed by the Alaska Railroad: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 755-C, p. 73-150.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1929, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1926: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 797, p. 1-50.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1930, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1927: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 810-A, p. 1-64.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836, p. 1-83.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-82.
Deposit

Smith, P.S. 1939, Mineral industry in Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1938: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 917-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral Industry of Alaska in 1940: U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.
Deposit

Robinson, G. D., Wedow, Helmuth, Jr., and Lyon, J. B., 1955, Radioactivity investigations in the Cache Creek area, Yentna district, Alaska 1945: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1024-A, p. 1-23.
Deposit

Koschmann, A.H. and Bergendahl, M.H., 1968, Principal gold producing districts of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 610, 283 p.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., 1973, Placer deposits of Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1374, 213 p.
Deposit

C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978, Mineral appraisal of lands adjacent to Mt. McKinley National Park, Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 24-78, 275 p., 7 plates.
Deposit

Reed, B.L., Nelson, S.W., Curtin, G.C., and Singer, D.A., 1978, Mineral resources map of the Talkeetna Quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-870-D, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Deposit

Cobb, E.H., and Reed, B.L., 1980, Summaries of data and lists of reference to metallic and selected nonmetallic mineral deposits in the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 80-884, 106 p.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1931: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 844-A, p. 1-81.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1942, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1940: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 933-A, p. 1-102.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1939, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1937: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 910-A, p. 1-113.
Deposit

Clark, A.L., and Cobb, E.H., 1972, Metallic mineral resources map of the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-369, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
Deposit

MacKevett, E.M., Jr., and Holloway, C.D., 1977, Map showing metalliferous and selected non-metalliferous mineral deposits in the eastern part of southern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 77-169-A, 99 p., 1 sheet, scale 1:1,000,000.
Deposit

Smith, P.S., 1933, Mineral industry of Alaska in 1930: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 836-A, p. 1-83.

Comments on the references

Primary Reference = C.C. Hawley and Associates, Inc., 1978

General comments

Subject category	Comment text
Deposit	Model Name = Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).
Deposit	Other Comments = Part of a productive placer area of approximately 36 square miles, including streams draining Fairview Mountain, with area of interest generally northeast and southeast of the summit of Fairview Mountain.? Some data for Twin Creek and Mills Creek are combined. See also Twin Creek (TL 026) and Pass Creek (TL024). Tributaries to Mills Creek on which gold has been mined are Wagner Gulch and Chicago Gulch.

Subject category

Comment text

Deposit

Model Name = Placer Au-PGE (Cox and Singer, 1986; model 39a).

Deposit

Other Comments = Part of a productive placer area of approximately 36 square miles, including streams draining Fairview Mountain, with area of interest generally northeast and southeast of the summit of Fairview Mountain.? Some data for Twin Creek and Mills Creek are combined. See also Twin Creek (TL 026) and Pass Creek (TL024). Tributaries to Mills Creek on which gold has been mined are Wagner Gulch and Chicago Gulch.

Reporter information

Type	Date	Name	Affiliation	Comment
Reporter	10-AUG-1998	Madelyn A. Millholland	Millholland & Associates

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

Maps centered on this site

Authoritative Alaska resources

These are landing pages for further research — the state agencies don't currently expose per-mine deep links.